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🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Crime & Justice

White House teleprompter operator put on leave over alleged bets on Trump speeches

From The Guardian · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A White House teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, is on unpaid administrative leave after reports of betting on President Trump's speeches.
  • Perez allegedly used insider knowledge of speeches to win over $100,000 on the prediction market Kalshi.
  • The White House stated strict ethical guidelines are in place, and the incident is described as "deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace."

A longtime teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump has been placed on unpaid administrative leave following allegations of using his position to bet on the president's speeches. Gabriel Perez reportedly used advance knowledge of Trump's remarks to win more than $100,000 on the prediction market Kalshi.

The White House has extremely strict ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this.

— Karoline LeavittThe White House press secretary addressed the situation, emphasizing the administration's ethical standards.

The White House described the situation as "deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace," emphasizing its strict ethical guidelines. Another individual will operate the teleprompter for Trump's upcoming address on election integrity. Perez, who has served as a technical assistant to the president since 2016, earned an annual salary of $175,000.

deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace.

— Karoline LeavittThe White House press secretary described the alleged actions of the teleprompter operator.

Sources familiar with the investigation revealed that Perez was negotiating with federal regulators over the allegations. Kalshi's enforcement head confirmed the platform flagged unusual betting patterns and is cooperating with regulators. The incident highlights growing concerns about insider trading in prediction markets, an area where Kalshi and its competitor Polymarket have faced scrutiny and implemented new oversight tools.

Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC, and we are cooperating and assisting regulators.

— Robert DeNaultKalshi's head of enforcement confirmed the platform's actions regarding suspicious trades.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Guardian. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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